Folding kite



wanes-r Nov. 6, 1928. 1,690,362

' C. N. DE WITT FOLDING KI TE Filed April 2'7, 1927 Fig. 9 is .ieii ol the underside of the slide and fragments of the rib and stays.

Fig. 10 is a. detail illustrating the latch or lock that holds the slide with its stays pivoted thereto; the rib being in section above ihe stays.

Fig. 11 is a head end View oi the latch and lock with fragments of the stays pivoted thereto.

Figl lii a detail of the stamping 'lrom which the latch frame may be bent;

Figr. 13 is an edge \itW oi the stamping shown in Fig. 12. s

Fig. 14 is a detached View of the kite tail extended and open to receive the collapszd kite.

lf l if. 15 is a View of the flying kite with the sheath tail broken to contract "the View.

Fig. 16 is a detached View of the two blanks ready to be sewed together to form a cover for the kite.

Fig. 17 is a lragmental cross sectional de- 7 tail of the rib and of the cover thereon taken on line Fig. 2.

Fig. 18 is a section of one of the stays and a fragment of the cover thereon.

Fig. 19 is a cross section on line in. Fig. 52 showing the hem.

Fig. 20 is a perspective View of the detached slide.

The frame of the kite when covered and extended, comprises a straight central longitudinal rib 1. a slide 2 thereon and an outwardly curved head bow 8 forniedfof two normally straight resilient stars 4 haying their inner ends hinged to the slide by knucklejoints 5, so that when the slide is at the head of the rib, the knuckle-joints prevent the stays from being swung toward the tail end of the rib; and when the slide is moved toward the tail end of the rib, the stars may be swung toward the head of the rib and thus folded against the upper part of the rib.

The cover 6 may be of any suitable foldable sheet material and is preferably of thin, strong, closely woven silk. It is of a substantially triangular shape, the head edge 7 being outwardly curred when the cover is stretched. and the lateral edges 8 being inbent or inwardly curved.

Said head and lateral edges of the'cover are formed with hems and the head hems at 7 form open ended sheaths "for the stays respec' tively. Said sheaths are separated by a gap at 9 to accommodate the slide 2 with its knuckle joints.

The cover 6 is formed of two gel-es 10, the meeting edges 11 of which are inturned and merlapped and stitched with S}')iCl(l-ti1)t11t parallel lines 12 of stitching to form a central open ended longitudinal rib acconnnodatini; sheath 1'3; and the rib 1 is inserted therethrough from the central gap at 9 to the tail tip 14 of the cover.

The slide 2 is made of a rearwardly expanding truncated triangular stamping 15 of sheet metal and proi'idcd at its axis with two holes 16 and 17 adapted to slidingly lit upon the rib; and the stamping is bent between the holes. respectively, and t main body oi the stamping at lines a and b so that the holes 16 and l7 are alined upon one side of the body and are thus adapted to accommodate the rib and to slide therealong.

The tail or broader end of the slide is provided with two limbs 18. the inner ends oi which are spaced apart as at 19 to accommodate the rib 1 when it and the slide are assembled. and said limbs are provided at their ends with pivot holes 20 to receive pivots 2! when the limbs 18 are bent over at the line 23 indicates companion pivot holes in the bod 15 of the slide and said pivots 21 are riveted or otherwise fixed in the pivot holes in the body and arms.

2% indicates an in tern'iediate lip extending at right angles to the body 15 of the slide and the same maintains the slide in position on the rib.

The slide is provided with a latch slot Q6 between the shoulders formed by the, bonds at a and b and preferably closer to the hole 16 than it is t'ovard the other end.

The rib holes are stirrup shaped; the straight ends 0 oi the stirrup holes being away from the body 15 when the slide blank has been properly bent to receive the rib.

The intermediate portions of the ribs and stays are alike U-shaped in section and fit snugly in the stirrup shaped holes.

The slide 2 is provided with a catch 25 that operates in a hole 27 in the rib, and that, is carried by the slide. and is operable by a thumb piece 28 to be Withdrawn from said hole 27.

The lapped edges of the two gores and the sheath formed between the two thicknesses and the two lines of stitches on opposite sides oi the mid-line. or axis of the kite, is longer than either hemmed selvage edge of the kite. and the tip of the gore or cover is tixed to the tail point of the rib, there being an eye 29 provided on the rib for that purpose; and to this eye. the tip of the gore is tightly sewn; and said eye also forms a point of attachment for the tail of the kite.

The stays are each provided with an eye 30 corresponding to the eye 29, and the head angles 31 of the gore are sewn to such eye so that when the slide is brought to the upper end of the rib, the ends of the stays are held closer to the rib1,thantheabuttine endsoi' the stays. Said abutting ends are thus brought toward and against the end wall 32 of the slide, and are thus prevented from collapsing; and the salvage edges of the gore thus draw the two stays into arcuate form as shown in Fig. 2-, thus producing the bow head.

By nnfastening the catch, the slide may be moved toward the middle of the rib as indicated in Fig. and then the stays may be brought together against the rib substantially as shown in Figs. 6 and 8, and when the kite is collapsed, as shown in Fig. 6, it may be insorted into the sheath 33 which is detached from the rib for that purpose, and which normally forms the tail of the kite when said sheath is fastened by its tip 34. to the tail end of the rib. s

The string is attached to the rib by two terminals 36 and 37 appropriately spacedthe kite as will be readily apart to balance understood by those familiar with kite flying.

The sheath 33 ismade of a gore of suitable material, such as materials like that of which the cover of the kite is made, sewed together at 38 and then turned outside in, so that the seam will be inside the sheath.

I claim 1. A kite comprising a longitudinal rib, an element slidably related to the rib, a pair of stays pivotally carried by the slidable. element; means for limiting the pivotal movement of the stays, a' flexible cover secured at its one end to said stays andat its other endto said rib with its intermediate portion freely movable lengthwise of the rib;

tially triangular shape, having sheaths surrounding'said rib and said stays; and means for connecting the cover ateach end of each sheath with therib and stays and said cover bearing such dimensions with respect to the frame as to effect a bending of the rib and stays thereof when extended to flying condition. Y

3. In combinationa kite having folding frame elements and a flexible cover, a kite tail constructed of flexible material and of.

tubular shape; and means for detachably securing the tail to the kite proper whereby it may be employed as a casing for the kite when folded.

4. A kite tail constructed oflight weight, flexible. sheet material and as a lengthwise attenuated tubiform.

5. A kite cover constructed of flexible sheet material and of substantially triangualong the longitudinal medial line and asheath formed at the head of'the cover at each side of the longitudinal sheath.

6. A kite frame comprising a longitudinal frame member, across member comprising a slide carried by the longitudinal frame member, a pair of oppositely extended stays, and knuckle joints betweenthe slide and stays;

means for releasably securing the slide 5 against movement lengthwise of the frame and a cover constructed of flexible sheet material and of substantially triangular shape, and having a sheath for enclosing the longitudinal frame member and a sheath for each stay. 7

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set day of April, 1927.

CLARENCE" NEILDE WITT.

.lar shape, a sheath formed continuously '75 my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 22nd Y 

